title: Body stalk anomaly at 10-14 weeks of gestation.
abstract: In a multicenter project of screening for chromosomal defects by fetal nuchal translucency thickness and maternal age at 10-14 weeks, 14 of 106,727 fetuses examined had body stalk anomaly. The ultrasonographic features were a major abdominal wall defect, severe kyphoscoliosis and a short umbilical cord. In all cases, the upper part of the fetal body was in the amniotic cavity, whereas the lower part was in the celomic cavity. The nuchal translucency thickness was above the 95th centile in ten (71.4%) of the cases, but the fetal karyotype was normal in all 12 fetuses evaluated. The findings suggest that early amnion rupture before obliteration of the celomic cavity is a possible cause of the syndrome.
authors.affiliation: Harris Birthright Research Centre for Fetal Medicine, King's College Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Daskalakis
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Sebire
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jurkovic
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Snijders
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Nicolaides
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000235:genetics; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015193:Chorionic Villi Sampling; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D013121:Spinal Curvatures / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013577:Syndrome; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging